Thank you Rachel, for posting this announcement about the new SignTyp Database at the University of Connecticut (UCONN). The SignTyp project is funded by a grant from the US National Science Foundation (NSF), through the Linguistic Department at UCONN, directed by Dr. Harry van der Hulst.

Dr. Rachel Channon is the director and visionary behind the SignTyp project. Thank you, Rachel, for this amazing project!

The SignTyp database uses a specially-designed SignPuddle server, that is located on the UCONN server, programmed by Steve Slevinski.

The SignTyp database will include 1000 videos from 15 different sign languages. That will be 15,000 videos and entries in SignTyp, when the project is finished. This is a great gift to the world, for signers, students, schools and linguists.

Each entry includes the written SignWriting next to the video. Adam Frost and I are two of the SignWriting transcriptionists writing the videos in SignWriting. It is an amazing project!

The announcement below is asking for YOUR assistance to work with the SignTyp team...We need your help...

If you would like to create videos from your sign language to be used in SignTyp, please contact Rachel:

We are looking for adults who have used a sign language from an early age to record their language for inclusion in SignTyp, an on-line cross-linguistic dictionary/database project atwww.signtyp.uconn.edu. Payment details below.

Signers use the prompt images atwww.signtyp.uconn.edu/prompt/promptindex.html, which include common concepts of numbers, animals, body parts, nature, food, clothing, tools, games, careers, relationships, space and time. Estimated total time involved is about 4 hours. Recordings may be made as time permits, and can use any device with acceptable quality (camera, smartphone, tablet, webcam etc.). They can be made as selfies or with a recorder assisting.

Alternatively, we may pay for videos which have already been collected, if they can be matched to our prompts. A mix of already created videos and new videos is also possible.

Payments/Incentives:

Payment: Signers are paid $0.50 USD per sign. A signer who completes the entire set is paid $500 or equivalent in other currencies. Payments may be split as desired among signer and any others involved in the work. There may be additional work, if interested.

Payments for already created videos to be negotiated.

Financial assistance for recording costs. Assistance can be given for the cost of cameras, flash cards, internet charges, selfie sticks or other special costs. Signers with limited or no internet access can be provided prompts by other methods.

Free online expandable dictionary of your sign language:This is a wonderful opportunity to obtain a free online (and printable) dictionary of your language -- and be paid to help create it. Your dictionary will have more than 1000 signs, with videos of each sign, pictures of the concept, spoken language glosses, and a transcription into SignWriting. You can add additional material beyond the scope of our project.

Free SignWriting:Allsigns are transcribed into SignWriting with additional sequencing information added. Data on handshape, orientation, action, location, hand relationships, and sequence are included. All data can be exported for your use in other programs.

Transcription is normally done on a first-come, first-served basis, so a quick response puts you ahead in the queue! And, if you are interested, and are familiar with SignWriting, we can even pay you to provide transcriptions.

Work-in-progress examples of SignWriting for ASL, Nicaraguan, Honduran, Turkish and other sign languages can be seen atwww.signtyp.uconn.edu/signpuddle. We expect to be adding Russian, Tunisian and Haitian signs shortly.